Stock feeder



Dec. 20, 1949 rg. D. @Mmmm M3577 STOCK FEEDER Filed May 4, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l,

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Patented Dec. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT QFFICE 2 claims. 1

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in stock or cattle feeders for useV by stock or cattle in the eld while feeding from a hay rick or stack, and embodies the provision of an expansible and contractible fence adapted for mounting in position to surround a hay rick and including raiisthroug'h which the cattle may feed, the fence protecting the rick from the cattle to prevent the cattle from pulling the hay theree from and scattering the hay over the ground,l and also embodying means` for contracting the fence to maintain the same closely against the sides of the rick while the latter is being consumed by the cattle.

More specifically,` the .invention embodies the provision of a continuoussectional fence adapted to surround a hay riclr or other feed for the cattle, and in which the sections of the fence are connected to each other in overlapping slidable relation at bothv the sides and at the ends of the fence so that the sections of the sides as well as the sections' of the ends of the fen-ce may be moved toward each other ina direction inwardly againstthe sides of the` hay rich so that the cattle may have access thereto as the hay is consumed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a c-attie feeder of this character of simple practical construction, which` is strong and durable,` relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to erect in position for feeding purposes, and other-- wise well adapted for the purposes forfwhich the samel is intended. l

Other objects and advantages reside in the de-` tails of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like' numerals refer to lilte parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational View of one side of the fence.-

Figure 3 is a top plan View thereof.

Figure 4 is a View in elevation of one end of the fence.

Figure 5 is a top plan view thereof. l

Figure 6 is an end elevational View showing the fence in its fully expanded position.

Referring new to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 54 designates the fence generally, which may be constructed of any suitable inexpensive material and of any desired size to' surround al hay rick or haystack 6, the present embodiment of the invention embodying end sections I and 8- at each end of the fence and side sections 9, Iii and il for each side of the fence.

The end section 'l includes a corner post I2 and an inner end post I3 to which vertically spaced horizontal rails Il! are attached with the posts on opposite sides of the rails.

The end section 8 includes a corner post- I5i to which vertical-ly spaced rails I6 are attached at one end,` the other ends of the rails I6 bei-ng provided With collars l'I secured at one side of the collars to the rails I6 by bolts or the like I8, thel collars also slidably receiving the rails I4 between the posts l2 and I3, as shown to advantage ifi Figure 5 of the drawings.

Accordingly, the sections l and 8 atithe ends of the' fence are mounted for horizontal vsliding movement relative to each other to increase or de crease' the Width of the fence The sections l and S are secured in slidably ad'- ju-ste'd position relative to each other by means of collars I9 secured to the ends of the rails I be` yond the post I3, the collars also slidably re= ceiving the rails I@ of `the section 8, the rails I6 being slidably securedl in the collars I9 by means of set screws or clamping screws 2i! threaded in saidlast-named collars.

The end section 8 of the' fence is also provided with an'. inclined brace 2l which extends from the outer end of the lowermost rail i6 to the collar IT at the inner end of an upper rail I6. One end of the brace 2l is secured to the outer end of the lowermost rail I6, Figure 6, by means of a bolt 35, while the other end of the brace is secured to the collar' H at the inner end of an upper rail I6 by means of bolts 3G and 3l. It is to be noted' that this brace is only employed when the sections I and are in their fully expanded position, as shown in Figures 1 and 6, and is placed in position after the sections 'l and 8 haveA been assembled in their fully expanded position. When the sections 'l and 8 are desired to be shifted to a retracted position, the brace 2l is detached by removing the bolts 35, 3% and 31, whereupon theV sections l and t,- after loosening of the clamping screws 2B, are shifted tothe desired retracted position.

Eachof the side sections il at tne sides of the' rick includes a corner post 22 which is secured to the adjacent corner posts l2 or I 5 ofy one of the end sections 'I or i by means of bolts 23. At the near and far corners of the rick shown f inl Figure i, the posts I5 and 212 are in abutting relation, whereas, at the right and left-hand cor= ners of the enclosure, the posts l2 are positioned on the outside of the horizontal rail with the rails inbetween the posts I2 and 22, the latter-named posts beingy secured together by means of bolts 23'. To the post 22 are attached vertically spaced horizontal rails 24 extending inwardly towardthe intermediate section I0 of the side 0f the fence and in overlapping relation with the vertically spaced rails 25 of said intermediate section. The

ends of the rails 2-5 are connected to vertical posts 26.

To the inwardly projecting ends of the rails 24 of the side sections 9 and II are attached co1- lars 21 slidably receiving the rails 25 while similar collars 2B are also attached to the rails 25 adjacent the posts 29 and slidably receive the rails 24, as shown to advantage in Figure 3 of the drawings. on the lower intermediate rail are also provided with set screws or clamping screws 29 threaded therein for securing the rails 24 in slidably adjusted position in the collars 28.

The rails 25 of the intermediate section i9 at the sides of the fence are also provided with an intermediate post 39 from which a brace 3l extends from the upper portion of the post 39 to one of the collars 28 carried by one of the lower rails 25. The collars 28 of the lower rails are not provided with the clamping set-screws 29.

:By releasing the set screws or clamping screws 29 at the ends of the intermediate section I9 at the sides of the fence, the sections 9 and H may be slidably adjusted along the intermediate section I9 whereby to increase or decrease the length of the fence and thus enable the several sections or the fence to be moved inwardly against the-sides of the hay rick as the latter is consumed by cattle feeding through the rails of the fence. i

The center posts 39 of the intermediate side sections i9 have transversely extending arms 32 attached thereto which extend midway across the rick with the rick in the full open position. The arms 32 are provided with vertical anchoring pins 33 at their inner ends adapted for anchoring in the rick 9 for securing the fence thereto, the arms 32 and pins 33 being movable inwardly of the rick as the ends o1 the fence are compressed or contractedl The arms 32 are positioned on opposite 9 sides of the posts 39, thereby being offset in relation to each other.

In assembling the fence sections to form a rick, the side sections 9, i9 and il are placed back to back with the intermediate sections i9 on the outside of the fence at each side, and it is preierred to reverse the positions of the end sections l' and Si wherein these sections may be assembled in the shop with the parts in the same positions and the complete sections are turned around or placed back to back in assembling the rick.

It is believed that the details of construction, manner of use and advantages of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

It is to be understood, however, that even though I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention that the same is susceptible of certain `changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described, and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a collapsible rick for feeding hay, straw, and the like, a continuous fence forming a rectangular shaped rick having telescoping side and end sections, said side and end sections comprising rigid sections with vertically spaced horizontal rails and fixed posts adjacent the ends thereof, and sliding sections with vertically spaced horizontal rails and fixed posts at one of the ends thereof, collars i'ixedly attached to the free ends of the rails of the sliding sections encircling corresponding rails of the rigid sections, collars fixedly mounted adjacent the ends of the The collars 28 on the top rail and also al f1) rails of the rigid sections encircling corresponding rails of the sliding sections, said collars providing two supporting points for each sliding rail maintaining alignment of the telescoping fence sections of the rick, means attaching the side and end sections at the corners of the rick, center posts on the rigid sections of the sides of the rick, rails extending horizontally from said center posts inward substantially to the center of the rick, anchoring pins on the ends of the lower rails extending inward from said center posts, and diagonal braces on the rigid sections of the sides and sliding sections of the ends of the rick.

2. In a collapsible rick for feeding hay, straw, and the like, a continuous fence forming a rectangular shaped rick having vertically spaced horizontal rails and horizontally spaced vertical posts, each end of said ricks comprising a rigid fence section with posts xedly mounted at the ends oi the rails and with the ends of the rails eX- tending beyond the posts at one end of the sections, and a sliding section with a post xedly mounted at one end of the rails and in which the rails thereof are in registering position with the rails of the rigid section, collars iixedly mounted on the free ends of the rails of the sliding sections encircling the corresponding rails of the rigid sections and disposed for sliding action thereon, collars xedly mounted on said extending ends of the rails of the rigid sections encircling the corresponding rails of the sliding sections and disposed for sliding action on said rails, and set-screws in the collars of the said extending ends of the rigid sections, and a diagonal brace on saidslidingfence sections, and the sides of said rick comprising a rigid fence section with posts xedly mounted at the ends of rails, and end sections with posts fixedly mounted at the ends of the rails at one end of the sections and in which the rails are in registering position with the rails of the rigid section, collars fxedly mounted on the free ends of the rails of the sliding sections encircling corresponding rails of the rigid sections and disposed for sliding action thereon, collars iixedly mounted on the rails of the rigid sections adjacent the posts thereof and encircling the corresponding rails of the sliding sections and disposed for sliding action thereon, set-screws in the collars of the rigid sections, diagonal braces on said rigid sections, center posts on the rigid sections of the side, rails extending horizontally from said center posts inward substantially to the center of the rick, and means attaching the side and end sections at the corners of the rick.

CRESTON D. OLINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 113,753 Drummond Apr. 18, 1871; 162,850 Ostrander May 4, 1875 479,589 Thompson July 26, 1892 1,280,614 Budin Oct. 1, 1918 1,595,137 Gee Aug. 19, 1924 2,495,535 Weiss Aug. 6, 1946 

